Why I still Love Anime-Tagpost

Hello everyone, it’s time for another tag post and a fun one at that! The title is pretty self explanatory if you ask me, but as always there are some rules that explain this one in more detail so let’s first get into those:

Some day, someone has to invent a tag post without any rules

The rules:

Write a post about why you love anime. It could be your favourite thing about it or one of your favourite things about it, it doesn’t matter which, but just pick one!

You can get as personal or as impersonal as you like. You might want to write about how anime helped you through a tough time or something that it has taught you or you might want to write about just how much fun you’ve had watching it over the years. Your choice.

Nominate three bloggers to do the same.

Link back to this post. I would love to see what you’ve written and I may compile a list of my favourite entries further down the line.

See, pretty straightforward huh? First off I want to thank the amazing Kimchisama who tagged me for this one. She has always been very supportive to me and my blog, but let’s not forget that her own blog is truly wonderful and well worth checking out for the many heartwarming posts that she has written.

Secondly thanks are also in order for the creator of this post Ty-chama. According to Kimchisama she is new to the world of ani-blogging but well worth checking out. So, don’t forget to visit her blog as well and see the original post that started this, as well as her other content.

The Beginning

Ahhhh…nostalgia!

To dive into the reason why I still love anime I have to go back to when my love for anime first started. And that was way back in the 80’s, a time when cartoons such as Transformers and He-man were dominating the airwaves. As a young child I loved these (and honestly I still do) but one day I came across a series called Robotech. It’s an American version of three totally unrelated animeshows, that were combined into one series with a new storyline. The heart of it though is still anime. When I first saw it I hated it. I was about nine, and could not really understand what was going on. The style of it was totally not what I was used to from all the other cartoons that I was watching at the time. That all changed when an alien armada of 4 million battle ready warships surrounded the Earth and pretty much all but destroyed it. To give you an idea here is a clip of that moment, so check that out first:

Okay seen it? Despite this being a truly horrific scene (the part where the soldier was talking to the young child just before impact, will always stick with me), it was also one that totally changed my view of everything that I had previously thought I knew about cartoons. My young mind was blown away (pun intended) and needless to say after that I became a fan of the series. Now almost 35 years I am still a fan of Robotech, and will always be thankful for what it did, namely introduce me to an artform that I did know even existed had it not been for this show.

The present

Yep, if I can find an excuse to put in a picture of Violet Evergarden I do it.

So, I am now 42 years old, and I am still in love with anime and even more than I did in the past. So why is that? (And yes I do know that is the question that I have to answer with this tag). Living in Holland anime was never very big here in the first place. The only anime that we used to get where very violent, shocking and almost pornographic animemovies suchs as Wicked City, and Urotsukidoji Legend of the Overfiend. And that gave anime a very bad reputation in my country in the early days. Luckily times have changed and with streaming services such as Crunchyroll and many series available to buy on dvd there is now more anime that I have access to than ever before. But my love for anime was truly rekindled when I started blogging. I came across a blog called 100WordAnime run by the wonderful Karandi. I had not really been watching anime for quite a few years (I know, shocking right?) but here was this blog that talked about series that I had not even heard of, ever.

Finally will be getting back to this gem of an anime in the upcoming days.

And so it is that for the past two or so years I have seen more anime than at any other time in my life. And it has done something for me as well. I have always been a very shy person (yeah I know, I hide it well) but because of anime I have really gained some very good friends here in this wonderful community. Even though we might all never meet in real life (though my invite to next year’s Animecon is still open), I am still thankful every day for the friendships that I have made here. It has also given me more confidence in real life, which I assure you is a big thing for me. Another thing that I love about anime is the way it is able to create worlds and emotions that are sometimes impossible to create in live action shows and movies. A more recent example for this was Violet Evergarden a true gem of an anime series, and where I think I used more boxes of tissues from drying my eyes than ever before in my life. Anime is more than simple animation. More often than not it are true works of art, that allow me to escape from everyday life for a few hours. So in other words: these reason are why I still love anime, and I will continue to do so, until the day I die.

Nominations

Yay, it’s time for nominations!!

As with all nominations, you are under no obligation to write a post for this one. We are all very busy, so really there is no rush or pressure for this at all. Anyways without further ado here are the three people that I nominate for this tag:

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61 thoughts on “Why I still Love Anime-Tagpost”

It was super interesting to read about your beginning experiences with cartoons and now with anime. This challenge is a good one!! I saw you mention Violet Evergarden! How relevant to our conversation just now, hahaha. 😀 Great post, Michel! I had a wonderful time reading it.

Thank you so much for the kind words Rose😊 I really had fun writing this post too, and yeah talk about a coincidence when it comes to Violet Evergarden😂
Glad you enjoyed the post, and it was fun taking a bif of a trip down memory lane 😀

Thanks very much for the nomination and thanks for sharing your answer with us (and I’m very happy to hear my blog is a part of that journey as finding out it helped rekindle a love of anime probably the most rewarding thing I can think of). I’ll definitely take up the nomination.

Well, it’s the total truth😊 As I mentioned I hardly watched anime anymore before my wordpress days, and when I came across your blog it really got me interested in it again. (not to mention the enormous amount of great recommendations that you have given me). So really thank you, and I look forward to seeing your post for this! 😊

There’s no “almost” about Urotsukidoji being pornographic 🙂 Oddly enough, that was actually one of the first anime I watched. AND I TURNED OUT TOTALLY FIIIIIIIINE

Actually, I did find Urotsukidoji and similar works quite interesting, because in the ’90s they were the clearest examples of anime being “not for kids”. I’d never seen anything like it and, being a teen at the time, of course I wanted to watch things that were “forbidden” in some way. I didn’t really “enjoy” it as such, but it impressed on me the fact that anime was a medium keen to cater to all sorts of different people — including adults — and that it would be something worth keeping an eye on.

My interest in “anime” primarily went in the direction of video games and visual novels, as you know, since there’s significant crossover. But the same things that attracted me in the first place — the willingness to engage with and explore truly adult (not just sexual) themes — are what keep me interested in anime and anime-inspired work today.

That and the cute girls. I can never have enough cute girls. Especially if they’re doing cute things.

I remember that it caused quite an outrage in my country at the time. There was even a whole feature on it in the news, and it got blown up way out of proportion (they pretty much suggested that it was the only type of animation that came from Japan, which of course is totally stupid as we now know).
Urotsukidoji is really taking things to the extreme though, and you are so right, it is not “ almost” pornorgraphic. I saw it once…and well that is enough for me, and hey I still turned out totally fine too lol😂
True enough though, a lot of people think of animation as ” just for kids” and it’s always tough to convince them otherwise. But I guess films like these kind of help lol😂
Yeah, there really is a lot of crossover with anime and videogames, that is so true. It almost at times makes me sad that I am not playing them anymore 😅
So righ though: you can never have enough cute girls! 😊 Thanks for a great comment, really enjoyed reading this one! 😀

Aaaah Nostalgia… It’s amazing to read your story of love for Anime.And I enjoyed watching that clip. I don’t remember that anime/cartoon which isn’t surprising. When I was younger, all I know is dragonball-Z. And then I’m more interested in books than TV. hehe.

I’m glad you enjoyed the post, thank you so much. I had real fun writing it as well, and looking back at some older things. Robotech is an anime from the 80’s so that isn’t suprising at all😊
haha, and fair enough😉 Books are just as good, definitely 😊

Yes to Anime! Also now I know our age difference 😂 my best friend is also 42 and you know who is 38…I guess I always gravitatie towards the elderly. Joke!
Sailor moon was my first anime, but I love macross 😍
Also we started watching violet evergarden and I really like it!!! 💖 I love the style which is so different from the older anime.

(And now a little side note, can you check the whatsapp gamenight group we have? because two people (you know which two I mean) are getting impatient with you not replying) 😂 I am very sorry for doing it here, it is because this is the one place I know I can properly reach you, before I start yelling at them…again 😂😶

Haha, lol, let’s answer the sidenote first 😂 I have a pretty easy answer to that one. My phone has been acting all weird the last week or so. Sometimes it doesn’t even show that there are messages in whatsapp, so my apologies. I will check it out immediately right after I finish this comment 😊 (and I don’t want people yelling 😂😂) And really no apologies are necessary at all 😉
I’m very happy that you enjoy Violet Evergarden so much. For me it’s been the best anime that I have seen all year, and trust me it’s only going to get better. It is very worth it, to stick with it, as the later episodes are truly breathtaking. (Pay special attention to episode 10….that one is very special).
Sailor moon is one that I have never seen before (yep, I’m horrible I know), but it’s another one that has been on my list for ages. Macross is terrific, I don’t know if you have seen any of the later versions, but I highly recommend Macross Frontier, which is so far my favorite installment.
Haha lol for the gravitatie to the elderly joke 😂😂
Well…quickly going to check whatsapp, before people really get angry 😅😅

When my students are being impatient, I ignore them. Unless they need genuine help, not the “i need attention” impatience. 😂 And yeah at some point….one day…. try to see sailor moon 😂 maybe even one episode, lol.

I am also relieved to not have been nominated. Thanks for that, Michel. But I do like Anime films, at least most of those I have watched. However, I get a little confused about the differences between Anime and Manga,. 🙂
My current favourites are
The Wind Rises
Steam Boy
Princess Mononoke
Akira
Howl’s Moving Castle
Nausicca of The Valley Of The Wind.
If they are Anime, then I am on the right track. But I only watch them in the original Japanese, and hate the dubbed versions.
Best wishes, Pete.

Haha, well just like Fraggle, I am always able to add you to the list lol😉
Ahh, but I can very much help you with the difference. Manga in short are Japanese comics. So nothing to do with animation at all (sometimes there are anime that are based on these comics). And anime is well, the japanese animated shows/movies. So hopefully this makes it a little bit more clear 😊
And those are definitely anime, you are completely on track! I always watch every anime in the original Japanese myself. Like you I hate the dubbed versions too. The only reason the clip was in English was because it’s a clip from Robotech, an American show😊
That is by the way a very good list of movies. If you haven’t already seen it, I also highly recommend Grave of the Fireflies, which is a truly amazing and beautiful movie. 😊

I have seen that, Michel, as well as Spirited Away, Ponyo, My Neighbour Totoro, Cowboy BeBop, Ghost In The Shell, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, and The Castle of Cagliostro.
Thanks for clearing up my query. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.

Thank you so much, that is very kind of you to say 😊 I’m very glad to hear that you are enjoying the Violet Evergarden series. It’s truly an amazing anime, which only gets better the further you get😊 Thank you again!😊

Thank you once again for the kind words. I loved reading this and finding out about a certain scene stuck with you. Gosh that right there just proves the power of story. I’m glad you are back watching more and finding shows like Violet Evergarden and March make it an amazing experience.
I think some people may think we are in it for the abs or boobs but dang those poor people are missing amazing stories that are just art.
I’m glad to see a lot of the perception around anime changing and I hope it continues to let people see that there are just as many genres in anime as in any other art form.
This was an amazing read and I’m glad we got to learn a bit more about your start with anime!

Aww, thank you for this very kind and wonderful comment 😊 Yeah I always have trouble explaining to people that don’t watch anime what is so beautiful about it. In general people keep thinking animation is “just for kids”, which all of us animelovers know isn’t true of course. Anime has an enormous diversity and so many genres to watch that it never runs out of ideas. There is always something new just around the corner. I’m really glad to be back to anime myself as well. Lol, and we are definitely not in it for the abs and boobs 😂😂 Thanks again for this great comment, glad you enjoyed the post 😊

Huge shout out to He-man and Transformers. I remember when all of my friends started watching live action (I use action is the most sedentary manner) stuff like Neighbours and Grange Hill, I stuck with animation and found my way to Akira, Fist of the North Star, Ghost in the Shell, and other such classics. I have no regrets whatsoever.

Transformers was definitely my favorite cartoon as a kid. He-man I didn’t like at all, and now in a strange twist of fate, I bought the entire show on dvd, and am loving it. It seems our tastes over time keep changing. Those are definitely some amazing classics that you named there: and I’m with you. I have no regrets myself either! 😊😊

What a fun introduction story! My first anime was Sailor Moon. I didn’t even know it was an anime when I watched it though, lol. But I fell hard in love with that show. It’s one of the few shows that genuinely made me wish I was a superhero like Sailor Moon, hehe. Loved their costumes and their powers. And then the relationships were swoony and the awesome back story was just amazing. It’s actually pretty episodic though which is something I wouldn’t love now. The whole villain of the week kind of thing. But it didn’t matter then, and I can easily rewatch now and only have love for that show. And that ends my Sailor Moon plug, lol 🙂

Haha…you are not the only one who has so much love for this show. A few other comments have said it as well, and I have seen countless outher bloggers giving it high praise. It’s another one of those animes that have been on my list for ages, but I stull haven’t found time to watch it. Oh well….one of those days.
Thank you as always for the kind words, and the great comment! 😊

It really is amazing how one show can lead to a lifelong passion. Especially with anime, as it can be so different from what we think of as “normal” cartoons. Can’t wait to see what your next really impactful anime will be!

It really is. It’s not often that a show is able to really make an impact like that, but it does happen. Well, there are so many good shows that I haven’t yet seen, I’m sure there probably will be one right around the corner 😊😊

Lol…yeah Wilhelm type screams seem to be all the trend these days 😊😊 Still, it’s a scene when you look back at the time in which it was made, you didn’t see in cartoons. It was unheard of. Which made all the more powerful 😊😊
I’m glad you enjoyed the post : I really had a lot of fun writing it too 😊

I had forgotten about that scene, where the child/soldier gets killed, in Robotech. Surprised it didn’t get cut. From what I recall the localized version of Voltron would remove clips were citizens get killed.

Yeah, Robotech never did that (although there are a few scenes that did get cut but were later restored in the remastered versions). It’s definitely true though…you never saw people die in the “normal” cartoons, so that is one of the things that made Robotech unique. That and of course the fantastic storyline 😊😊

I have the Robotech series on DVD but never watched it. It was when I first got into anime and they were on sale for a silly price, but I was mortified to find when I got home they were English dub only! 😮

The negativity about anime in the press in the late 80’s-early 90’s also occurred here in the UK when Manga Entertainment brought over films like Overfiend and other adult orientated titles, which even led to politicians calling for these sick cartoons to be banned – and why ignorant people still call anime “Manga cartoons” to this day. 😡

Well, that’s easy enough to explain. Robotech is an American series, so there is no other version. You would have to be on the lookout for the orginal Macross series, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (“part 2” of the Robotech series) and Genesis Climber Mospeada (“part 3” of the series) if you want to see the original animes. Robotech combined these three unrelated shows and formed then into one big saga. Honestly it was really well done, especially with the story and I have been a fan of Robotech for most of my life.
Yeah…the Manga label was the thing that really gave anime a bad rep (though these days they luckily do bring out much better titles), but it’s really sad that it did that in the first place I’m glad though that overall opinions on anime have changed 😊😊

Yes, Robotech got the Gachaman treatment by the US, taking one series, chopping it up and creating a new one suitable for US broadcast. I grew up with Battle Of The Planets yet I had no idea I was actually watching anime decades before i even knew what anime was!

Sadly my hearing has deteriorated since I bought these discs …mumble..mumble.. years ago and they don’t have HOH subtitles so they may very well go unwatched.

Yeah, that was the same with me. There are a lot of shows back in those days where I didn’t realise that I was even watching anime 😊
Ugh, that is a real shame. I don’t know if you have Netflix? Because if you do, you can find the entire series there 😊

It’s not just about volume, it’s clarity of the voices and I find a lot of American voices aren’t alway clear, especially female voices when they speak in that high pitched girly whine. But as an older show, maybe this might be okay. I’ll just have to fiddle with my hearing aids..

Thanks for taking part in my challenge! I hope that you had as much fun writing this post as I did reading it!

The entries that I’ve read so far seem to have a recurring theme: anime has helped people to come out of their shells and grow in confidence. That’s so uplifting, you know? As you touched upon in your post, many have this negative perception of anime, as something excessively violent or pornographic in nature, but it seems to me that, more than that, it can be this overwhelming force for good!

Thank you for creating this challenge in the first place! 😊😊 I really had a lot of fun writing this post, and I was honored to have been able to participate in it.
I have really seen that too, and it’s also something that I think is really what anime does. As with “normal” movies/shows, of course anime also has a darker side, but that’s just such a small portion of what is on offer. There are so many beautiful gems out there, and I wish more people would be able to enjoy it as much as we do. Luckily though, it’s being discovered more and more, which is a very good thing. Thank you again! 😊

Again, thanks! I seem to be saying that a lot, but I’m honestly surprised by how well received this has been so far! I’m hoping to do some kind of summary post once the entries have stopped coming in, so keep an eye out for that!

Ahhh… Robotech. That brings me back…. I haven’t watched that in YEARS!!
..I can’t seem to remember my beginnings with anime…. I guess I’m getting old. The ones that are always in my mind are Patlabor, Sailor Moon, Cowboy Bebop, Love Hina, Chobits…. I know there are earlier ones, for sure.
My first forage into violence and questionable content was “Ninja Scroll”, and my first stumble upon hentai was after watching a series called “Mezzo DSA” and, at my local video store, finding a movie version called “Mezzo Forte”…. It was not a continuation on the series, but a hentai version of it… Oopsie! 🙃

Robotech is one of my greatest passions when it comes to the world of anime (even though it technically isn’t anime). I have a huge collection of stuff from that show, and I still buy things whenever I come across them 😂😂 Lol…and no you are not getting old (although, that’s what I always say as well 😂😂).
Haha..I think my first “venture” into the world of hentai was Wicked City, that movie was all kinds of messed up to be honest😅😅 And then Legend of the Overfiend cured me from ever watching hentai again lol😂😂 Never heard of Mezzo Forte by the way…🤔🤔 But…I’m guessing that I’m not really missing much with that one 😂😂😂 LOL 😂😂

Well, Mezzo DSA (danger service agency) was a cute action/comedy series.. In the hentai version I got to watch the main female character be raped by her male counterparts…. Very unexpected when I thought it was a continuation of the show! 😂😂

I never really knew about anime either until one day, my local cartoon channel started broadcasting ‘Cardcaptor Sakura’. Me and my brother fell in love with the show and later an anime centric channel even started on our cable subscription. I knew there was so ethics different about it from cartoons but many years later Google helped me understand that it was in fact, anime. Years later, I started venturing into it again and reading manga too. I am inching my way in, but I am definitely loving it. Violet evergarden is something I have heard a lot about. I will definitely watch it!

Anime had a very bad reputation here too, when I was young. It was seen as something only a pervert would watch (again because of movies like Wicked City and messed up hentai) 😦
Luckily Studio Ghibli and Pokemon fixed that negative impression a bit and now its seen as more cute and entertaining. 😀

This was a lovely post to read 🙂 I can tell you like anime very much 🙂
Thanks for sharing 😀

Yeah it’s crazy how they first introduced anime in that way (and really sad too when you think about it 😢). But I’m very glad that time is right now pretty much behind us. Anime is luckily getting more and more impressive with some beautiful releases coming out. I’ll probably never grow tired of it😊. Thanks as always for the kind words and the great comment! 😀

I like how it all started with hate. I find that when your first impression is hate, it usually turns into a very strong love afterwards. And I believe that’s scientifically proven hahaha I’m glad you share this love for anime with all us too as it is definitely contagious! I know I’ve rekindled my own love for it over the summer, and now I’m just crying at how little time I have to do everything, as if it wasn’t already restrained before anime/manga got back into my life hahahah Great post, Michel!

Thank you so much. I really had a lot of fun writing it. It was nice to take a bit of a look back in the past, and see how it all began. That said I still love Robotech today, and revisit it so many times. Haha…as for time…yeah I know what you mean. I never have enough time. Especially not now that my vacation is over and I have to get back to work again 😊😊Oh well..I never get bored and always have enough to do..so that’s a good thing I guess 😊😊

I know you’re not around as much as you used to be and I’m late to the party, but (as of the time I was typing this) I spotted a DVD for something called “Robotech: the Shadow Chronicles” at a library a few weeks back so someday, I might see what you’re talking about in all its glory…

I read in some of the non-fiction I’ve used for the Ode to Anime Studios that Legend of the Overfiend was one of those anime that made people think “all anime is hentai”. It’s not, and you can have entire lifetimes without resorting to watching hentai and/or ecchi shows, but hey, you can’t do anything about stereotypes.

Anyways, anime is always a good excuse to make friends and vice versa (although that reminds me I’ve been holding out on some series my friends wanted me to watch ages ago – Re:Zero comes to mind). Great post as always.

"Consider, can the universe be justifiably called infinite? Doubtful. It may not have a discernible end, but it had a beginning and its component parts definitely have a limited cosmological shelf-life. Splitting hairs or not, if history tells us anything, it's that scientists often make very poor poets. We're all just a ship of fools chasing phantoms, heedless of what really underwrites natural law." - Okabe Rintaro